Mark Boleat's response to ONS unemployment figures.

Last year the City of London Corporation (the local authority for the financial Square Mile) introduced 3,500 young people to career opportunities at City firms, through business taster sessions, apprenticeships, internships and mentoring.

Mark Boleat, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, said: “The rise in unemployment is a setback when the economy is still in recovery mode. Despite a slight dip in youth unemployment this quarter, one of the biggest barriers to George Osborne’s vision of ‘full employment’ is the fact that too many young people are finishing school without essential work-based skills. To improve their career chances, school leavers need to know which attributes to include in their C.Vs, how to present themselves in front of senior management, and be better aware of how the decisions they make at a young age will impact their ability to climb the ladder. This can only be achieved by increased collaboration between businesses and schools, to ensure that there is a better balance between academic attainment and employability.”